Former India spinner R Ashwin has questioned the team management’s decision to drop spinner Kuldeep Yadav from the playing eleven, saying it lacked common sense as his presence could have made a difference in the ongoing T20I series against the West Indies.
Kuldeep played the first two matches in Lucknow and Ranchi before being left out for the next two games in Indore and Hyderabad. The left-arm wrist spinner returned figures of 2 for 33 in the opening match but conceded 53 runs in the Ranchi match, which India lost.
India’s bowling struggles continued in the fourth T20I in Hyderabad, where the West Indies scored 247 for 3 and went on to win by 24 runs after dismissing India for 223.
“It is very surprising because, on a ground where you expect to get some bounce, I know it has not always been a happy hunting ground for spinners. But the West Indies batters are struggling to pick his (Kuldeep) googly and leg-spin. So, if you are leaving Kuldeep out against them, it lacks a bit of common sense. It is very surprising because I think his presence could have made a difference of 15-20 runs,” Ashwin said on his YouTube channel.
“I was surprised. Kuldeep was not picked in Indore, and I would still endorse that decision because I can understand that the ground is small,” he added.
Kuldeep had been India’s leading wicket-taker in the ODI series against the West Indies earlier this month, claiming seven wickets in three matches.
The five-match T20I series is locked at 2-2, with the decider set to be played in Bengaluru.